Dear Fellow Congregants,
As this is my first column as President of Temple Sinai, I would like to introduce myself to those of you who may not know me. I am a nurse by education, but spent most of my working career as a manager in health care. I retired in January and am happy that I have time to devote to this position. I am not a long time member of Temple Sinai, but have had the opportunity to meet many other members and be involved in our congregation for the last eight years.
I first joined the Social Action committee and then had the honor to serve as chairman for two years. I have also been a member of the Adult Ed commiftee and the Sisterhood. All of the groups at Temple Sinai serve many purposes in the life of our congregation and it is amazing how many people choose to contribute in a variety of ways to our mission and values. If you are not a member of a committee, I hope that you will consider finding one to join that is meaningful and enjoyable to you. We are always happy to welcome new ideas and energy.
This is a special time of year — Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the holiest days of the Jewish calendar and are often seen as solemn and introspective. They certainly are for me, but are also a time of joy. We celebrate a New Year, greet many friends we may not have seen for quite a while, and join together to pray, sing, and observe our centuries old traditions.
Temple Sinai is a congregation that welcomes all, whether longtime members or someone just checking us out at these special services. We are so very fortunate to have a Rabbi and Cantor who lead our services with true neshomeh (soul) and inspiration.
Of course, we couldn’t do anything at Temple Sinai without our wonderful administrator, Joyce Sturm.
I am looking forward to greeting as many of you as possible during the High Holiday Services.
For those of you who may not be aware, the Board of Trustees of Temple Sinai is a group of hard-working, devoted men and women. Some have served for many years and others are new members, but they share a common vision to make Temple Sinai the best we can be, not only for the present, but for the future as well. I am very fortunate to have this board to work with as we strive to address challenges as well as celebrate our successes. By the time you receive this bulletin, we will have had a board retreat where we will set goals for the coming year. I look forward to sharing the outcome of our retreat in the October bulletin.
Many, many thanks to the individual donors as well as contributions from the Adult Ed, Social Action and Religious Affairs committees as well as the Sisterhood for the upgrade of the sound system in the sanctuary and social hall. We will all benefit from their generosity!
I hope you have all “Saved the Date” of November 3 when we will celebrate Rabbi Bennett’s 25 years at Temple Sinai. A wonderful evening is being planned and I am sure you will enjoy the program.
L’Shana Tova to you and all your family!
Carold Benjamin, Temple President
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